Welcome to my latest book review which is blog post number 101! Thank you so much for supporting my blog and if you’re new round these parts, welcome.
This blog post is about a book that has got my eldest particularly excited, Girls Can Do Anything published by Scholastic. The book is written by Caryl Hart, a familiar name in our home as Little One is a fan of her book How To Grow A Dinosaur. Ali Pye illustrated the book who I am a big fan of. Ali Pye has illustrated many books including Cats Learn To Listen At Moonlight School and the adorable You Can Never Run Out Of Love. Her work is inviting and very cute and together Ali Pye and Caryl Hart have created a super fun read aloud.
The front cover alone is sheer brilliance with a group of diverse girls in different work attire representing different jobs in neutral tones and not drenched in pink. This book is for everyone and there is something we can all take from this book.
The book is a thought provoking read and it starts as soon as you open the book. Delightful illustrations of endpapers highlights different careers that our future young girls may decide to do. The book is an invitation to witness amazing things that different girls do each day and from the beginning it is made clear, that as unique as girls can be on the outside, all of varying colours and sizes, girls can do anything.
Caryl Harts rhyming text and descriptions of girls too being ones that can be smelly, scruffy and fancy adds a touch of humour to the book but ultimately it shares that girls are capable of amazing things and repeats “I’m a GIRL! I’m FANTASTIC! I’m strong, brave and proud!”
There aren’t just a handful of jobs that girls can do but a whole variety and the book really informs young readers of the amazing things they can do when they are grown up. Just as we are unique in appearance we all have varied tastes and passions. For some it may include working with animals and for others it may be working with numbers. Whatever the interest, there are many career possibilities which are shared throughout the book.
My girls and I love the inclusion of you in the text. “But all girls are brilliant, and that includes you!” It is an effective, powerful message that has really made Little One think that girls can do anything and that she is fab (of course I am slightly bias with her fabness but she needs to believe in herself too). The text is presented in varied formats always alongside colourful illustrations that are appealing, colourful and always so fun. Together the rhyming text and detailed illustrations make this a very engaging read.
As well as being an empowering picture book it is also an informative one educating readers of brilliant women. This double page is inclusive of so many great women including Clara Barton, a pioneering nurse who founded the Red Cross, Marie Curie, a two time Nobel peace prize winner whose work led to the discovery of radioactivity and Hualan Chen, an animal virologist who is best known for researching animal epidemic diseases. The endpapers at the end of the book also explores more aspiring women with an added description of their achievements. An inclusive, diverse gallery of women who have proven that girls can do anything!
Since receiving this book my girls have repeatedly asked for it to be shared and my eldest proudly informs me each day that girls can do anything. This book is now available to buy and I really recommend you share it with your young ones.
Available from Amazon-click below:
Disclaimer: I received this book from the publishers and as always all opinion and words are my own. This post contains affiliate links.